2 suspected Abu Sayyaf members nabbed in Zamboanga City

admin • January 29, 2018 • 4797

MANILA, Philippines — The joint forces of the regional intelligence unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Task Force Zamboanga and its maritime unit arrested two suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Barangay Mariki, in Zamboanga City last Saturday.

(They are not ordinary members. They are someone [important] within the organization because they are working directly under Radulan Sahiron. That’s why we’re glad to have arrested them in the fastest time.)

Tantari Sampang is facing seven counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention, while Paisar Aktub Sampang is facing six counts of the same offenses in connection with his alleged involvement in the abduction of the employees of golden harvest plantation in Lantawan, Basilan, back in 2001.

According to Chang, they were able to arrest seven ASG members this month.

Meanwhile, the Zamboanga police allayed residents’ concerns over the series of arrests of alleged ASG members in the city.

They explained that they are just proving that they are doing their all in providing security to the public.

Despite this, the PNP is not discounting the possibility that the colleagues of the arrested ASG members might have been planning to sow violence in the area.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed grief over the loss of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in an encounter between the military and elements of the Abu Sayyaf Group on Friday (April 17).

“The Officers, men and women of the Philippine National Police, under the command of PGen. Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, join the Filipino nation in mourning over the loss of 11 of our brothers in arms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines who offered the ultimate sacrifice in an encounter with terrorists in Sulu yesterday,” says a statement it released on Saturday through its spokesperson, PBGen. Bernard M Banac.

The country’s police force believes that the soldiers “did not die in vain -the cause they are fighting for is the lifelong commitment of all men and women in uniform who derive inspiration from the heroism of our fallen brothers to bring on the fight against the enemies of the state,” Banac said.

The official added that the PNP is extending every possible support and assistance that it can give to comfort the families of the fallen soldiers and to provide care for the wounded.

“Even as the entire government is preoccupied with response operations to address the health crisis, state security forces will continue to perform the duty to keep the country safe from terrorism and lawlessness,” Banac concluded. —mbmf

MANILA, Philippines —The Office of the President on Saturday slammed the Abu Sayyaf Group after around 40 of its members attacked the government troops in Patikul, Sulu on Friday (April 17) resulting in the death of 11 soldiers and wounding 14 others.

In a statement, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the administration condemns “in the strongest possible terms the latest incident in Patikul, Sulu, where members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) believed to be under ASG leader Radullan Sahiron and Hatib Hadjan Sawadjaan attacked government troops resulting in a firefight, which left 11 soldiers killed and 14 wounded.”

Roque noted that what happened was already the second encounter that the government troops had with the same terrorist group; the first one, on April 16, in which three soldiers were wounded.

“The Office of the President expresses its sincerest condolences to the bereaved families left behind by our brave soldiers who fought hard and paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our community. We honor and pray for the fallen,” Roque’s statement reads.

He further noted that the enemies of the State do not choose any date and occasion and just seem to strike even at this time that the country is battling a great pandemic.

Roque, however, reiterate that this must serve as a warning to all, stressing that, “our authorities remain ready and prepared to crush the enemies of the government and quell any armed attack amid the existing state of calamity and public health emergency.” —mbmf

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